Forget the Golden Globes, Grammys, and even the Oscars.
In the grocery business, awards season means one thing:Trader Joe’s Annual Customer Choice Awards.
Plus, one very special product is crowned as the No.
Photos: Trader Joe’s. Design: Eat This, Not That!
Theresults are in for 2024,and there were some surprises.
As this year’s winners enjoy their time in the sun, I wanted to give each a try.
I put each one to the test and developed my own mini-rankings.
Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
Let’s jump in to see which champions reign supreme when pitted against each other.
At Trader Joe’s, that happens to beb-a-n-a-n-a-s!
The classic yellow fruitwhich comes organic and in a standard Chiquita variety from Ecuadoris no stranger to success.
Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
As is the case with these items, customers love TJ’s bananas for their taste.
They also come at an unbeatable price of $0.19 each.
Now, that’s something to go bananas about.
Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
In the non-organic section, I found that most options were unripe with peels sporting a bright green shade.
Inside there were no blemishes.
All three measured in at almost seven inches long on the dot.
Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
The taste:The archetype of a good banana.
It was still a bit unripe for my liking.
But, that just proves how on-point this customer-curated list is.
Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
A big win over three types of sweet croissants and the store’s Chicken Breakfast Sausage Patties.
Like the sausage, the hash browns come in a compact, convenient patty form.
The look:Shredded hash browns smooshed into a 4-by-3-inch patty.
Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
They turn a nice shade of golden brown and cook up somewhat evenly in the oven.
I ended up eating them with a fork rather than holding them like the patties from McDonald’s.
But, there lies my only complaint.
Megan Hageman, Eat This, Not That!
This cheesy champion is described as creamy and fresh.
And, with a significantly lower lactose content than cow cheese, it’s a more approachable option.
The taste:Sweet and tart.
It’s so light and smooth that it essentially dissolves in your mouth.
Otherwise, it’s more on the crumbly side.
I paired it with standard snack crackers since it is so spreadable.
It lives in the freezer section nestled among various frozen specialties.
The color is standard cream to off-white with plenty of green spinach laced throughout.
Something about it tastes homemade and warm and soothing to the soul.
Swiss and parmesan cheeses were the perfect choices for the app with their mild and sweet notes.
The artichoke flavor, on the other hand, is more elusive.
Small pieces of the vegetable are present.
This year, Butter Chicken got a fair shot.
The meal consists of basmati rice and chicken drenched in an Indian-inspired sauce.
The look:A pool of terracotta-colored liquid containing five sizable chicken pieces.
On the other side, the rice is standard white, long-grain rice.
Based on its looks, I was wary.
But, the smell as I pulled the container from the microwave raised my hopes.
The taste:The sauce is curry-like with strong flavors of ginger and turmeric.
Having bathed in this mixture, the chicken turns out tender and juicy.
I think there would need to be more chicken here to help it eat like a meal.
Ice Cream Cones and Chocolate Lava Cakes.Sublime Ice Cream Sandwichesare TJ’s customers' current sweet obsession.
And, with a name like that, they ought to be.
The look:Not as picture perfect as what’s on the box, but pretty close.
The cookies come in that quintessential shade of light brown with chocolate chunks throughout.
The ice cream layer is respectable, and there is no shortage of dark brown chocolate morsels.
I was more than pleasantly surprised that is not the case with the Sublimes.
The ice cream shines through with vanilla flavoring that almost makes it taste marshmallow-esque.
I probably could have done with about half the portion of chips.
Still, it’s a top-notch treat from Trader Joe’s.
It’s one of the highest honors a munchie like this could hope to receive.
Thetortilla chipsare made from stone-ground corn masa and flavored with a bold combination of chili and lime.
They still earned recognition as runner-ups.
The look:The rolls are not as dust-covered as I would have thought.
They take on a shade of orange with a few fiery red spots here and there.
The taste:Both the citrus and spice hit you hard on the first bite.
I found myself seeking out the darker rolls to get extra seasoning and heat.
They pack an incredible crunch, letting you know that the base tortilla chip is quality.
I think if Trader Joe’s sold them plain, they would be a hit.
Although, as plain chips they might need to take a different shape.
These skinny scrolls couldn’t hold much dip.
Overall, I have to agree with the Trader Joe’s customer panel on this one.
These chips are absolutely deserving of the awards they received.
